Bring Her Home
by Dustfingers-Angel
Summary: (Featuring my OC) When a mission goes wrong James Bond has to return to Headquarters without his partner - who is also Q's partner, in the other meaning of the word. Bond has to bring her home (Ch1 - chapters after are about her recovery and relationship with Q) Mentions of torture. Disclaimer; I don't own James Bond
1. Bring Her Home

Bond trudged through Headquarters, his tired face bruised. He'd just spoken to Mallory concerning the failure of the last mission. M wasn't angry per say, silently furious would better describe it. He shut himself in an empty office, taking a breather. It wouldn't be long until-

The door opened and was slammed shut again, "Bond"

He stood straight and turned to him, "Q"

The young man was furious, rage burning in his eyes, "How could you let it happen?!"

"Now, wait a second-"

"You were supposed to be keeping an eye on her! She was supposed to be safe with _you!_"

"Q, she is an agent. I can't do my job while looking after someone else who is perfectly capable of doing it on their own." He growled, standing taller than the other man, "We'll get her back"

"You better - because, Bond, if she _dies_, I will kill you" If it was anyone else he would have laughed, he would have mocked them, but 007 could see the fury in the Quartermaster's eyes - if he lost her, he would be inconsolable. Q swallowed hard, anger brimming under the surface, "What happened Bond?"

"We were ambushed - it was unexpected" he said calmly, "Agent Mason and I were separated."

"Her tracker turned off, it can't be turned off - that's the way I designed it. But she dropped of radar," Q took a breath to steady himself, "what caused that?"

Bond blinked a few times before answering the Quartermaster, "They took her down with a tazor, it probably fried the circuits"

Q let out a shaky breath, his jaw trembled. "Bring her back Bond." He said seriously, "Alive. If she's been hurt-"

"Don't be so thick. Evelyn has been kidnapped by our enemies - if she hasn't been hurt by now I can almost guarantee that she will be by the time we get to her. Do you think that they'll spare her? Really?" He snapped angrily.

Q clenched his jaw. "Just bring her back, bring her back to me Bond, please." The younger man turned and left the office, pain in his chest. He knew Eve was an agent, he knew she'd get hurt on occasion, but this had destroyed him, broken him down to his very core. Life without Eve... it wasn't worth considering.

XXXXX

Evelyn was in agony. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, feel every inch of her body in pain. She was barely concious, having had basically no sleep, and she was beginning to give up hope. Then from behind the sound of her blood rushing in her ears, she could hear the commotion around her, though now she was too exhausted to even open her eyes. Her legs had given out long ago, and now she held herself up on one arm by the rope that bound her wrists. Broken arm. Fractured kneecap. broken leg. Cracked ribs. Cuts and bruises weren't even worth thinking about. There was blood on her face, running down from her hair. Her breathing was laboured. She had managed three hours sleep in four days. And she hadn't said a single word.

Bond cut her down and caught her in his arms, knocking what little breath she had out of her. She gasped for breath, clutching weakly at his top. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up at her partner, "Bond" her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse.

"Yeah, let's get you home" he lifted her and she winced, "It's okay, we'll get you seen to once we're out of here" She was close to passing out, her head rolled to the side and her eyelids became heavy again. "Just a couple more minutes Mason"

"Couple... more... minutes..." she breathed.

XXXXX

In the plane, Evelyn slept reclining in one of the chairs. She was bandaged and medicated, now breathing steadily. Bond stared at her bruises and the bandages that were wrapped around her. She had suffered severely. The only thing she had really managed to say, was that she had told them nothing - she was very firm on that point, she needed everyone to know she hadn't given in.

Q watched as the small plane landed. A ramp was pushed up to its door and the door was opened. Bond pushed Evelyn down the ramp in a wheelchair. She'd been offered a blanket but she'd refused it, shaking her head slightly. He moved forward a few steps, eyes fixed on Evelyn Mason. His heart pounded in his chest - she must be in agony. He noticed how she didn't take too deep a breath, how she held her arm delicately, how she struggled to keep her eyes open. But when she saw him she smiled, and he could see his name on her lips. Bond stopped her in front of Q and quietly said that he'd give them a moment.

Q crouched in front of Evelyn. She smiled, her voice hoarse from lack of use, "Hi".

With a bittersweet smile he replied, "Hello Eve" his careful fingers brushed over her bruised cheek, inspecting the mild injury as it was the first one that had grabbed his attention.

She didn't flinch at his touch, instead she took his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "I missed you"

He let out a choked laugh, feeling tears brimming in his eyes, "I missed you too" he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Look at the mess you're in" he chided lovingly, "I'm going to have to get you all cleaned up again, amn't I"

"I suppose you are"

With Bond's help, Agent Mason was helped into the car Q had waiting. Q shut Eve's door and looked across the roof to Bond. "Thank you" the younger man said.

"I'm just doing my job"

"Police get thanked, firemen get thanked, soldiers get thanked - I think Agents deserve a thanks as well."

007 nodded, "You're welcome Q"

"No, I do mean it - you brought her home to me, I owe you for this"

Bond shook his head, and bitterly added "Get her to the medical block, she's broke a lot of bones"

Q nodded, "Thank you"


	2. Now You're Home

Once Evelyn was eventually allowed out from the hospital, she was taken back to Q's flat. The doctors had only agreed to let her leave if she was under constant supervision, and considering that Q had barely left her side since she's arrived, they were confident that she would be well looked after.

Admittedly, Q had struggled to get the wheelchair into the elevator in the tower block, but after that there were very few snags. She would be able to use crutches once her arm healed, and she was looking forward to getting back on her feet. Q had helped her out of the chair to sit up on the sofa, her broken leg resting on the coffee table in front. He sat beside her and handed her a cup of tea in the mug he had bought her as part of her last birthday. "How are you feeling? Do you need any more pain killers?"

"I'm fine, honey, really." Eve held the mug carefully in her hand. Eve's arm was still in a cast, just like her leg; her ribs were bruised but they had healed well, the other cuts and bruises were all but gone. She took a sip of tea and rested her mug on her lap, all the while Q studied her, watching for signs of pain that she wasn't telling him about. Evelyn Mason trusted the young Quartermaster fully, but she struggled to open up, even when she was in severe pain. Eve had always trusted Q, from day one - he was young, inquisitive, creative, a little cocky, a little too quick to act, but she had always liked him. Q was only a few years younger than her, and in their line of work that was rare – she had once joked it had been fate that they met.

Q sat back beside her, resting his hand on her thigh. "I was so worried about you, I thought they weren't going to let you out for months"

"You're _always_ worried about me" she countered, smiling.

"Yes but this time you got hurt Eve" he said softly.

"Well it was going to happen sooner or later"

"Yes, I know, but this was serious – you could have died"

"Honey,_ stop_. I'm alright, I'm here and I'm healing and I'll be fine." Seeing the concern in his eyes she sighed softly, "Here, put this down for me" she handed Q her mug, and once he'd sat it down she wrapped an arm around him tightly. Q cuddled in to her carefully, resting his arm across her stomach as he leant his head against her shoulder. She smiled as he snuggled into her, enjoying being close with him again - there hadn't been much opportunity in hospital.

"Please don't get hurt again" he mumbled into her shoulder.

"I'll try, QT"

He smiled widely and pressed a kiss to her neck. He was just glad to have her home.


	3. On The Mend

Evelyn was back on her feet now - well, technically; she was walking with crutches, but at least she was up and moving about. Unfortunately it only made Q more anxious if anything - he was constantly worrying that she was going to fall, trip on something in his flat and get herself hurt again. Her arm had healed well, so had her knee; there had been issues with her leg and her ribs, but slowly, they were healing too. She had smiled through it though, while Q had panicked the whole time by her side. _"Honey, relax"_ had become Evelyn's catchphrase over her recovery period.

Q held the door for her, watching her intently as Evelyn made her way into the livingroom. He shut the door and followed behind her, his hands on her waist as he helped her to sit. He took her crutches and put them aside before sitting next to her, "Is there anything I can get you, Evelyn?"

"I'm fine, babe - if I need anything I can get it"

He smiled, but she could see him looking over her injuries. His eyebrows knitted above his worried eyes, "Are you sure?"

She smiled, "I'm a big girl, honey, in fact, I'm a freaking spy - I think I can take care of myself"

He laughed quietly, "I know you can. I just want to take care of you myself, I never get to look after you" he pressed a kiss to her forehead, brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

"Because there's no need for you to take care of me" she laughed, running her hand through his hair before gently cupping the side of his neck and running her thumb over his jaw.

He held his hand against her's, inclining his head slightly, "But I _do_ like taking care of you though"

"I know honey, I know" she smiled softly, "But soon I'll be _all_ better, and back at work, and back to scaring the crap out of you every time I go away on _missions_, as a pose to every time I take a _step_"

He gave her a serious look, one she'd grown to know - it mean 'please don't say/ do things like that, you know I take this seriously'. She smiled and kissed him, "Love you"

He smiled, rolling his eyes, and said very matter-of-fact-ly, "I love you too"

She smiled a goofy smile, messing up the genius's hair before kissing the tip of his nose, knocking his glasses slightly. He looked at her chidingly as he fixed them. Evelyn bit her lip and looked up apologetically, "Now, let's make dinner"

He raised an eyebrow, amused, "Oh, you mean_ 'Q, why don't you make dinner while I try to be helpful without messing anything up'_? Yes, why not" he smiled, while thoughts of previous cooking disasters ran through Evelyn's mind.

Immediately he stood and handed Evelyn her crutches, again helping her to her feet. Once she was up, she pressed a kiss to Q's lips, "Race you to the kitchen?"

"Evelyn, that's..." he trailed off as she used her crutches to propel herself across the apartment, "... not a clever idea, Darling" he finished saying, watching her with exasperation and adoration on his face. "_No_" he muttered to himself, walking after her, "_don't listen to your boyfriend, don't listen to logic, or anything like that, oh no, let's have some fun and games with your crutches and your broken leg and you broken ribs, it's not like anything could happen..._" he sighed and shook his head, smiling at her as he entered the kitchen. "So, what is it _we_ are making?"


	4. Ready To Go

Evelyn was offiically back on her feet. Her wounds had healed completely, she'd had a health check done by the Medics at MI6 and she was ready to resume formal exercise and training. And Q wasn't happy.

Q had loved having her at home, having her with him everyday. The thought of Eve going back on missions filled him with an old anxiety - one that had been at it's worst during her last mission. He knew that Evelyn getting hurt while doing her job wasn't going to be a one time thing, and with her on the way back out into that world, Q felt himself becoming remarkably protective of the brave, strong, intelligent agent he'd grown to love.

Evelyn came back to his flat after being cleared to restart work again. Q had been working from home, not particularly fond of the idea of seeing Eve back in, as selfish as he felt for it. He lay across the sofa, the tv on quietly in the background as he typed variables furiously into a new programme he was working on. Evelyn came in, kicking off her shoes and pulling off her jacket, a smile on her face at going back to her job.

She grinned as she walked round the sofa, "Hi Sweetheart" she said, leaning over her boyfriend and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Hello Darling" he smiled, placing his laptop on the floor, and pulling her down into his lap.

She giggled, sweetly, lying over him, their legs getting tangled as she pushed herself up on her hands, one on either side of his shoulders, "What's got into you?"

He frowned for a moment, "Nothing"

"You're lying QT"

He smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear, he let out a soft sigh, "It's nothing, Eve"

"It's something or you wouldn't lie about it"

He sighed in defeat, "I'm worried about you going back to missions. That's all, I'm just scared that something else might happen"

She frowned softly, kissing him softly, "I'm not going to promise that I'll never get hurt again, I can't, okay? But I will always do everything in my power to come home to you once I'm finished."

He looked at her, admiring her features, the look of confidence in her eyes and a want to comfort and reassure him in every move she made. He sat up, arms around her back as she sat straddling his hips, "I love you" he told her, "I have faith in you, you are the best agent I have ever seen. You are more than capable of completing every mission you are issued, but there is alway a chance that you are going to get hurt and that... That worries me, endlessly. And there is only so much I can do, only so much I can make you and give you to protect you... and it will never be enough"

"Don't say that"

"But it's true - I will never be able to protect you fully."

"That's not your job" she shook her head.

"But there's the problem - no-one has that job. There is no-one whose job is to fully protect you, and there won't ever be."

"Exactly"

He blinked, "What?"

"No-one exists to keep me safe, but me. I just need to get better at doing that"

He tilted his head, "I think you're missing the point, Darling"

She just smiled, "I know there's no point in telling you not to worry, Sweetheart, but just don't worry too much, okay? I'm okay amn't I? You've just got to have faith in me to come home safe."

He sighed, biting his lip as he shook his head slightly, "Now you've made it hard for me to protest without offending you" he smiled and kissed her gently, "I have complete faith in you, Darling, but we both know too well how cruel the world can be to good people."

She hummed softly in agreement, but didn't offer any comment. She buried her face in against his neck, her forehead on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and Q pulled her close to him, until they were firmly pressed chest to chest.

"I love you" she murmured to him.

He grinned widely, overcome by love for Evelyn, "I love you too"


	5. New Start

_Evelyn Mason walked up to Mallory's office and knocked on the door. He wasn't expecting her, but she needed to talk to him._

_"Come in" called the deep voice. Eve turned the brass handle and pushed on the door that she had been through many times before, though it seemed to be different now, after Mallory became M._

_"Mallory, Sir?"_

_"Ah, Mason - come in. What's brought you to my office?" he asked. He looked tired, the empty coffee cups in his bin reinforced that idea - they went along with the dark circles under his eyes. He gathered the splayed out papers on his desk into a pile._

_"Em, I came to ask a favour, Sir" She shut the door behind her and stood with her arms crossed behind her back._

_"A favour?"_

_She nodded, "...yes Sir"_

_'Would it be anything to do with what Q was asking about a few days ago?" Mallory sat back in his chair._

_Evelyn blinked, "What? Q spoke to you?'_

_"Yes, I'm assuming from that reaction you didn't know that?"_

_"Um, no, I did not. What had Q asked, Sir?"_

_"He requested that you'd be transferred to 'homeland security'; well, in not so many words - he wants you to be kept in England, doing... less dangerous missions" Mallory seemed amused by this. Eve bit her lip subconsciously, glancing around the office. Mallory watched her, "Is that the favour you would like to ask too, Mason?"_

_"Yes Sir - em, Q might have put it a little more brashly than I" she started to ramble "I don't mean to ask for a permanent transfer, it's more for Q's sake really, just for six months even until he stops freaking out about me going away on mission where he can't be with me. He's just over reacting, really, but he'll just cause fuss if-"_

_"_Yes_, Mason"_

_She stopped, looking at him, "Sorry, Sir?"_

_"I'm approving your transfer, you'll be working predominantly with me and other members of MI6 - you'll be a member of high security teams, and will work as a personal body guard for high ranking individuals. Anything urgent that's close to home, you can be sent to deal with too. Does that sound alright, Mason?"_

_"Yes Sir, thank you" she replied, almost bewildered._

_"Now, go home and give Q the good news - I'd like to keep in his good books, seeing as he takes charge of _all _our weaponry and tech. I'd prefer if he was content" Mallory smiled._

_Evelyn nodded, "Thank you Sir. I'll tell him straight away, I''m sure he'll be delighted."_

_"I'm sure - could you remind him as well that seeing as things have gone through, he owes me those plans by the end of the week? That would be great, thanks"_

_"Not a problem Sir" she smiled._

Evelyn returned to the flat, quickly entering and locking the door behind her for the night. "Eve?" Q called, "Is that you in?"

"Yes" she called back, "And we need to have a word"

"Oh - you spoke to Mallory?"

"Yes"

...


	6. See You

Evelyn returned to the flat, quickly entering and locking the door behind her for the night. "Eve?" Q called, "Is that you in?"

"Yes" she called back, "And we need to have a word"

"Oh - you spoke to Mallory?"

"Yes" she walked into the flat, shrugging off her jacket and kicking off her shoes, putting them away in their respective places. She stood at the door of the living room, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend. Hesitantly, Q looked up from his laptop with an apologetic look. "Well?"

"I was going to tell you...?"

She tried hard to keep up a serious face - she wasn't actually that annoyed at him, "You didn't though."

He closed over his laptop, getting to his feet, "I didn't think Mallory would mention it to you" he said quietly, now looking rather guilty.

She placed her hands on her hips, looing him in the eye with raised brows, "Well he did"

"I'm sorry, I just really wanted this for you and-"

"I know" her face broke into a smile, "but you made me look like a damn idiot in front of Mallory - I had no idea what he was talking about, Q!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry - really, I am. I knew I shouldn't have spoke to him before you did- before I asked you. Please, I'm sorry"

But she smiled at him lovingly, shaking her head, "You're forgiven, QT - but please, don't do that again" she cupped his face in her hand and kissed his forehead. She studied his face for a second, his cheeks were flushed, so were the tips of his ears. His head was bowed and he looked at her timidly over the frame of his glasses. Eve was almost half a foot taller than him, he was always having to look up at her, but he liked that.

She shook her head, but smiled, kissing his forehead. Q rested his hands on her waist, stepping in close to her, chest to chest. Q looked up at her, "So...? Did you...? You did get the position, didn't you?" Eve couldn't help but hold off her answer as she was faced by the half eager, half worried expression on his face - _make him wait, make him worried for just a moment. _Q frowned, "Eve?"

"Yes, I got the position, Q"

"Oh thank God" he wrapped her in a strong embrace, his head against her shoulder. Eve laughed, hugging him tight and kissing the side of his head. "I love you. It's not that I don't trust you, or don't believe in you - I just want you near home; I just want you with me. I want to come home and know you're coming home too. I want to keep you close to me. I want to know you're nearby"

"You're so sweet, QT - and if you'd backed me up instead of going in first, I would have more than thanked you for it."

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay, let's forget about it. It's over and done with, babe"

Q smiled, widely, "Shall we celebrate? There's wine in the fridge, I think"

"There better be"


	7. Bloody Fool

Officially being back at work was fantastic for Evelyn. She loved Q, but being able to get out and get in with things was a welcome reprise. There were a few situations being monitored at the moment, and she was one of three emergency calls that would be made if things seemed to be getting out of hand - so there was a lot of waiting around. She'd been briefed on each of the different circumstances, their relevance and importance to MI6. She was being kept up to date on any new details as they happened.

Boredom led her down to Q's workspace, under the guise of offering help - Q had been moaning to her that there had been a shipment of materials in, but they'd been left in an awkward place and he was having to work around it because he didn't have the strength to move it out the way. She made her way down the many stairs, until she found herself at Q's door. For once it had been left open, so she took a moment to her self.

Eve leant against the door frame, arms folded as she watched Q quietly work on his latest project. His glasses were perched right on the end of his nose, his lips tightly pursed as he concentrated hard - he was frowning at the small panel in front of him as if it had done something to personally offend him. His ankles were cross under his seat, but even then he was trapping the toe of his right shoe against the ground. As Eve watched, he began to tilted his head off to the left for no reason she could see. He was adorable. His hair seemed to have decided to taken on a mind of it's own since they'd left the flat that morning (because of course, Q had convinced her to continue staying with him, even though she was fully recovered), it was wild, sticking out all over the place like he'd just rolled out of bed. Q huffed in frustration as whatever he was doing wasn't working out the way he'd like, making Eve smile to herself. Q sighed, sitting back and stretching. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and adjusted his cardigan.

"Hey QT" Eve said softly, despite that still making him jump. She laughed as she walked into the room.

Q turned in his chair to face her, looking serious for the briefest of seconds before smiling at her, "Hello Eve"

Leaning on hand on either arm of the chair, she leant down and kissed him quickly. Then she noticed something and frowned, "Q, darling, why do you have a massive plaster on your forehead?" she asked, trying not to sound completely condescending.

He made a face for a moment, not exactly wanting to give her an answer. "Well," he started, slowly "I may have tripped earlier on, and, in doing so, em, hit my head of the corner of my desk"

She winced, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I have a sore head, but I'm fine."

"Yes of course you are darling, but there is blood coming through that plaster. How long ago did you fall?"

"Em, three or four hours ago, maybe"

Eve's jaw clenched, "I'm taking you to first aid" she said, standing straight.

"Eve, I'm fine" he tried to reason, standing up too quick and losing his balance a little.

She caught him easily, "No. You are coming with me, now"

"Eve-"

"It's a head injury, Q, you should have known better and gone straight away when it happened" she nearly snapped.

"I was in the middle of something" he said quietly.

"I don't care what you were in the middle of" she said, a bit softer. She picked up his phone and keys off his desk and put them in her pocket. Taking him by the hand she started to lead him out of the room, "Come on"

"I'm coming" he sighed, resigned to his fate.

x

Q sat up on the edge of the bed in the first aid room. The on duty nurse carefully pulled back the edge of the plaster he'd applied, as Eve stood a few steps behind him, arms crossed. Again, her jaw clenched as she saw the injury itself - a deep triangle cut, surrounded by a dark purple bruise; there was still blood running down from it.

"Damn it, Q" she muttered.

"You'll need stitches" the nurse informed Q, and Eve saw him screw up his face.

An hour later, Q had been cleaned up, his cut stitched, and a CT scan had been taken. Eve thanked the nurse, though Q wasn't seeming to fond of him by that point. "He'll need 48 hour observation" he told Eve.

She nodded, "Don't worry, he's not getting out of my sight"

"I'll send on the CT results when they're in"

"Thank you"

x

Eve knocked hard on the door, Q standing just behind her. Muffled by the door, the call came, "Come in"

So she did. "Mallory, sir?"

"Yes, Mason, Q" he nodded to them in turn, frowning as he wondered why they were there.

"Are Hammersmith and Chester in, sir?"

"Yes, they are. What's going on?"

Evelyn, smiled politely, "I'm afraid I need to take Q home sir, immediately."

"Why?"

"He suffered a head injury while he was working by himself down in the workshop. He's been stitched up now, but he's been prescribed bed rest and 48 hours observation."

Mallory looked between them both, noting the 'v' of stitches on Q forehead and the mild irritation in his expression. "And you're going to be observing him?"

"Well, sir, Hammersmith and Chester are both here, if either one of them gets called away I can come in and make arrangements for Q"

Mallory sighed, but nodded, "On you go - but I expect both of you in first thing afterwards."

"Of course, sir" Eve said with a smile.

"Yes, sir" Q added.

x

Q was in a slightly pissy mood until they got back to his flat - it was nearly Evelyn's birthday and he'd been trying to work on his present for her, which he was sure he could have finished today if he had been left to work at it. But he couldn't tell Eve that. She had just shut the door behind them; Q was just about to tell her for the dozenth time that there was no need for him to go home from work when he was suddenly hit by what felt like a sold wall.

Now they were home, Eve couldn't hold back. She stepped forward quickly, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight.

The complaint in his mind suddenly died on his lips. He hugged her, confused and concerned, "Eve? Are you...? What's wrong?"

She let out a quiet, but ever so slightly shaky breath. "I don't think I've ever seen you get physically hurt before. I don't like it" She bit her lip, a frown creasing her brow. If something serious happened to him, she couldn't imagine what she'd do.

"Are you seriously that worried about me?" Q asked genuinely, a little surprised.

"Of course I am. I don't want you to get hurt, ever, at all"

A smile crept onto his lips, "That's why your were being so..."

"So?"

"Never mind, darling"

"Mm hm" she rolled her eyes, "Just so we are clear, Q - I care about you very much, I want to keep you safe, and I don't like seeing hurt or upset. As much as I'm humanly capable of, I will try to protect you - even if that means I'm protecting you from your own clumsiness and over enthusiastic work ethic" she smiled softly, "Okay?"

"Okay" he kissed her quickly.

She kissed him again, then kissed his forehead, away from his stitches. and pulled him closer. "Eve" Q said, softly, "I promise, to the best of my ability, try not to get hurt again."

She laughed, "I'll hold you to that"

"Of course you will"


End file.
